The Trail is about so much more than great whisky…

Laura Sharp is the Brand Home Manager for Diageo, based out of the historic Cardhu Distillery.

There is little doubt that the Malt Whisky Trail is the ultimate Scotch experience. But the cherry on the cake is that this one of a kind trail is in the heart of what is for me, the most beautiful part of Scotland, Speyside, my home.

As the world’s largest concentration of malt whisky distilleries, you can discover whisky and so much more. From some of of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes, golden beaches with huge sand dunes, and rugged mountains on our doorstep in Cairngorm National Park. Whether it is a day out with the kids at the Dolphin Centre in Spey Bay (which I can thoroughly recommend) or indulging in a a splash of cashmere luxury at Johnstons of Elgin mill, store and lovely coffee shop, you are really never short of things to do.

As the brand home manager for Cardhu and Cragganmore distillery visitor centres, I have been working for Diageo for 15 years which sounds a lot when you write it down! Over those years I have met whisky lovers at our visitor centres from literally every corner of the world enjoying their journey on the world famous Malt Whisky Trail.

At Cardhu, the spiritual home of Johnnie Walker, which is also part of The Trail, you can learn about the only distillery started by a women, which really does stand out from all the other distilleries in the Speyside area.

I couldn’t think of better starting point of your whisky journey than with the light character of our 12yr old Cardhu and the Cardhu 15 and 18yr offer flavours for those for that are looking for something a little more complex.

And if you are planning your trip for 2017, I can heartily recommend you time it for the last weekend in April to join in the celebrations of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival for an action-packed five days of whisky-inspired events celebrating Scotland’s national drink.

I hope you enjoy this site and importantly, come and visit me at Cardhu so I can say Failte!